Comb finishing apparatus and method



April 1935- F. J. GLARK 1,996,062

COMB FINISHING APPARATUS AND METHOD Original Filed Dec. 8, 1930 i Q J6 11 Q g J4 J @Wuay:

t I Patented Apr. 2, 1935 I p 1 I, a

PATENT I r 1,996,062 COMB FINISHING APPARATUS AND METHOD Y Frank'tl. Clark, Leominster,.Mass., assignor to f Du Pont Viscoloid Company, Wilmington; DeL, I a corporation ofDelaware, I l

' Application December 8, 1930, Serial No. 500,766

1 v ltenewedtlune 26, 1934, j i

10 Claims. (Clint-26) The; principal objects of thisinvention are to vided with means 20 for holding the comb blank provide a. method and meansforztaking ofi the against being pushed back, which may be made' fins or; webs produced on theiteeth .of molded in any desired Way. Theteeth of the comb are combs and'other objects; to provide means for supportedby'p'ortions of this support vl6 extend-' automaticallydischargingthecombs; and to pro'- ing u d them, and-f h pp has vide an'improved form of fin cutting punch for passages downthrough it for the punchesi These the above mentionedpurposes. punches are'strung on the. rods. [4 so as to'ibe Otherobjects and advantages of the invention spaced apart exactly the'same distance as. the will appear hereinafter. ultimate width of the comb teeth is intended to: 104" 11 Reference is to. be had to the accompanying be. The width of each cutter is the same as the drawinsain which width of the ultimate intended spacebetween the;

Fig. 1 is'a side view. of a cutting" punch c'on-v comb teeth. In the spacesbetweenthe cutters structedinaccordance withthisinvention, showare spacers I1 hung on this rod l llike the cutters ing the partsin a position in which "the punch is and constituting a part of the gang cutter. These; e about todescend to trim the. teeth-of the'comb; spacers have curvedfront. and bottom surfaces I8 151:

Fig. 2 is av front elevation ofapartof a series .or they mightbe slanting surfaces in the same ofthesepunches for punching simultaneously beplane-as the surfaces I3.':The'se 'spacers fill all tween the several teeth of the comb; the'space'betwee'n each twoi adjacent cutters and Fig-.3, isaview'similar to Fig.1, showing the constitute the means for "pushing the'blanks of. v 20. punch at the bottom of its stroke; r the combs outwardly by engagingthe ends of'the"20 v -4 is.a sectional view'onthe 1ine l. 4 of teeth as the blanks rise in the manner to be, de'-:' Fig.y2-showing thepunch risen again with the scribedi I i blank supported-by it,.another blank discharged, 7 In operation the punch; and comb blank being: danew blank in position for trimming, and in the position shown-inFig. thegan p 2 Fig. 5 is a cross. sectional view of a comb on' is brought down aSShOWIY bY the I W in enlarged scale, showing'in dottedi lines the action cutting through the spaces between the teeth and. of one of these punches. 1 removing their fins F and" webs. 'The punches Oneway ofj-producing combs of plastic mate-. finally reach the-position shown in full lines in rial is to mold the, comb blank from above andv Fig. 3, and then move upwardly againto the posi- 30.; below by dies which in-order to. remove them tion shown in Fig. 4.

necessarily have slanting sides.v produces. Nowcomparing Figs. 3 and 4, it will be seen, acomb having teeth Twith slanting sides'S and a" that when the cutter 'moves down, the cutting finsEor web: at ,ornear the center. These fins blade between thesurfaces II and I2 goes e'n-r or webs extend along all the teeth of the comb tirelybelow the comb. blank. Now,- when the from one end to the other and "also at the back gang of cutters is raised, thecomb blank is free 351 A V of the teeth.' Thisinventionis designed to.pro-' to move. Although the cutter is of the same vide for removingthese-fins or webs ina simple thickness throughout, when it moves back'there and practicable manner. and :is .not confined to 'isno weight on'the comb, and the'cutter willnot': combs as it can-be applied to other articles made pass through its own slots made in the comb 40 in the same Way. Consequently the cutter carries thecomb up with 40 7' 1 The first four figures show] the punches for it, as shown in Fig. 4. After one or two combs are] trimming off these fins. Each punch consists of carried up in this way, and then'the cutter moves a flat body part It, a slanting cutting edge II, a down and back, the edges l8 coming in contact horizontal surface l2 at the top of the cutting with the backs of the combs will graduallyjforce P i 4.5 part of the punch,-andaslanting surface I 3 above them out horizontally, as indicated in dotted that. Of course, the body of the punch is so lines in Fig. 4. Each complete stroke down and I constructed that it can be supported in the maup of the gang of cutters brings up a comb underchine in a rigid manner. I have shown two rods neath the combs supported on thesurfaces l2, and

I4 extending along the machine through holes in then these are forced out front where they can the several punches by which they are lined up, be removed by hand or carried away automati- 50 and they may be guided at the back along the cally. 7

vertical surface l5 as may be desired. This constitutes a verysimple manner of re-,.

I The surface II is sharpened to provide two opmoving the fins or webs, and also delivering the posite cutting edges. The combs B or other arcombs to convenient points. It is an important, ticles are mounted on a support I76 which is'proeconomy to provide means on the punches them- 55 selves, which does not have to be operated inde-' pendently thereof, for dislodging the combs in the manner. that has been described.

' scope .of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do not wish to be limited to theixact';

' ing a series 'of'flat punches spaced apart a The punches are of simple construction and easily set up. The bank of punches and the support for the comb blank maybe. mounted. for operation in any-suitable. type of press having a, means folr carrying and moving the bank of punches.

Although I have illustrated and described only.

one form of the invention I am aware of the fact that changes can be made therein byanyperson:

skilled in the art without departing from the form shown, but what I do claim'is 1.. The method of finishing comb blanks,

cally discharging the blanks.

1 '2. The method of finishing comb;blanks;'which consists in moving a gang .ofpunches idown be-- tween the teeth of a. blank until-they pass entirely j through the blank, then "raising I the punches to carry the blank upnwith themand automatically dischargethe blank fromthe punches. t

3. A device for the purpose described,'compris'- tance' equal to the distance between the teeth'ofthe. comb and having cutting edges for punching. iout'the fins on the sides ofthe .saidpunclies being connected together rigidly; and spaced.

apart accurately and havinga horizontalportion at the top adaptedto lift each'combjupaboveit .as the punch .goesdown through-the .comb'andcomes back upto its original position."

4. Atrimming device for toothedarticleacomprising a'series of punches, each punch having two opposite. cutting edges arranged :on aslant, said punches being adapted to :be moved'downi betweenthe teeth of the article-taking .oflcthe fins or webs on the sides of the teeth, said punches having .horizontalsurfaces abovethe slanting cuttingsurfaces for raising each ,article as'thepunch? is raised after passinggthroughthe articleon the punching operation. r

5. A trimming device for toothed articles,corn.-.. prising'aseries of. punches; each punch'having two opposite cutting. edges arranged on a: slant,

said punches being adapted tobe'moved down} between" the teethof the article takingxofi the.

- fins orwebs on the sides of the teeth, said'punches having shorizontal surfaces above the slanting cutting surfaces. for -raising each article :as! the. punch israised after passing throughthe article. on the cutting operation. "and .eachpunch also having a slanting surface at ahigher'level than the horizontal surface for forcing the articl outwardly asthe.punch reciprocatesr c J which consists in punching off the'fins left at or near the middle of the teeth of 'a pressed comb blank,- raising the blanks onthe punches and, automati- 6. As an article of manufacture, a punch for the purpose described,.comprisinga main body having parallel sides,;a slanting cutting edge, a

flat surface spaced from the cutting edge; and a slanting non-cutting surface beyond .theflat'su'rfa for th purpose es 1b d-.,.. I

.7. 'As an article of manufacture, a'punich'for .the purpose described, comprisinga main body having parallel sides, a cutting. edge, a horizontal surface above, the cutting edge, and 'a slanting unsharpened surface above thehorizontal .surface.' I 8. As an article of manufacture, agang cutter v comprisinga'series of cutting punches each hav-j an inclined cutting surface with a cutting edgeon each side and spacers'between the cutting punches each having a surface extending "upwardly and forwardly and extending throughout the spaces between two cutting punches for engaging the ends of the teeth of an iarticlecut by the punches and'pushingthem' for ward as these'articlesare raised in the cutter. a

91A trimmingdevice for tootlid'zuticles com-f prising taseries of. vertically movingvertical punches; each punch having two opposite. cutting edges gradually extending upwardly 1 toward the I front of the cutter for cutting'down betweemthe teeth or the article to be trimmed drcut'and each having a horizontal surface thereabove' w'hichy after being forced down through {the article, will u'pon itsrising stroke, liftthe article with it by engagement. with the surfacesthrough-which it has. cut andspacers between said punches ends 10f the teeth of -the articles being punched topush themout direction.

punchhaving pposit cutting eq g the lower side thereotfwhereby when the punch is forced down between the teeth'of afpreviously formed toothed'article the said edges will cut the fins or webs therefrom,- each cutter having a horizontal surface of the same ,width above the cutting edges, whereby after the punch has cut down through an article and been raised aga'in; the horizontal surface will carry the articlejup with it andrthis action will be on each movementof the trimrnlng device; said trimming device also having a series of spacers between the punches, each 'having asuri'ace which will 'engage the articles asthey arethus forcedup above said horizontal surfaces'and push them'laterally out of thetrimming deviceone at a time. i I r FRANK 'J. v j

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